Villainy Incorporated
by Orange Lantern Tsume
Summary: Just how did Mad Mod and Circe get their Neron-backed powers? This one-shot explains it all. (A companion fic to RED ROBIN.)


Villainy Incorporated

By Blackheart Syaoran

AUTHOR: This is a companion piece to my _Teen Titans_ fic, Red Robin, and takes place between Chapters 2 and 3.

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"Alert, everyone!" Superman called. "Form up, now!"

The Justice League followed the Kryptonian's orders, falling into ranks on the open floor on the Watchtower, Superman in front of them on the raised dais. He looked grim, his eyes dark. For several moments, he surveyed the crowd of superheroes, taking in their already fearful visages as he telepathically communicated with Batman and the Martian Manhunter.

Finally, he silenced everyone's minor chitchat as he said, "We need each and every one of you to be better than usual today, because, for some reason, there are five massive conflagrations across the United States. We don't know how these fires started, but they are three miles into the sky and threatening to harm innocent bystanders. You're going to be dispatched into teams to tackle these fires—"

"Which aren't natural," a loud voice said from seemingly nowhere.

Confusion sparked in the crowd, and Superman turned to find the Blue Devil staring out the observation window behind the dais, staring at the five fires with a strange look in his eyes.

"Blue Devil?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

After a pause, Blue Devil turned to Superman, his face long. "Those fires…there are five, in a very disturbing pattern…with very disturbing timing…"

"Can't this sort of thing wait?" John Stewart frowned as he descended from the monitor level, where the Martian Manhunter was. "We don't have time for suspicions."

Blue Devil shook his head. "Would you consider it nothing if five fires erupted at the same time in the pattern of a pentagram?"

John rolled his eyes. "Interesting as it is, we have to stop those fires _now_."

"I agree," Superman said, and turned back to the crowd. "As legitimate as Blue Devil's suspicions are, we have to prioritize. Those fires have to be stopped immediately, before someone gets hurt."

There was a sudden commotion at the back of the crowd, caused by a flash of light. Superman's plans were brought to a halt as a very harried-looking Zatanna, gasping for breath, forced her way to the front of the crowd.

"Zatanna, what is it?" Superman asked, floating down off the dais and taking her shoulder to steady her.

"…You won't believe it…" she said, still breathing deeply. "…Someone just unleashed something…"

"She's right."

Heads turned and the crowd parted, revealing Dr. Fate. The mage approached Superman, looking into the hero's eyes.

"Someone or something has just unleashed an extremely powerful force of pure malevolence," Fate said. "We need to prepare. Immediately."

"Prepare?" Superman asked. "For what?"

Fate looked him hard in the eye. "For evil."

"Superman!" J'onn J'onzz called from the monitor level. "We have a Priority One emergency!"

"…A Priority One…No!" Superman gasped. He released his hold on Zatanna and looking at the display screen for himself. And when he was looking, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Supervillains from all of the various holding facilities are disappearing," J'onn reported, his words carrying down to the heroes gathered below. They rustled nervously at the thought of having to recapture all the villains. "There's no explanation for it."

"Batman?" Superman asked, hoping for some kind of answer.

"I've been trying to raise him, but it seems that Gotham City has just now been virtually laid siege to by the various criminal elements, minus, of course, the supervillains." J'onn looked at his friend. "What do you think we should do?"

For a long moment, the Man of Steel was silent, and then he said, "Dispatch teams to handle the fires. If we don't put those out, there won't be anything to protect from the villains."

J'onn nodded.

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Belle Reve Prison.

It was a paradox: The guards called it Hell while the prisoners called it Purgatory. Inside its reinforced walls—walls backed by the Justice League—there were one hundred forty-two men of unspeakable evil. Each convict was a supervillain, a rogue, and bloodthirsty to the extreme, especially when surrounded by others of the same kind.

On that night, a guard, Finney, was doing his rounds with fellow guard Carl, when the unthinkable happened.

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"Hey, can I get some movies here?" called the villain Copperhead. He had no other name—at least, that was what he kept telling police. "Like, maybe a DVD or something!"

The guards ignored him. _Bastards_. _Bad enough they took my damn suit_, Copperhead thought. _If I had that suit—If I was Copperhead again—I'd show them what-for_.

"…Hahahahahahahahaha…" The voice was quiet, deep, rough, and menacing with pure evil. Upon hearing it flow through all of Belle Reve, both the guards and inmates glanced about, wondering if someone had either lost it, busted in, or busted loose.

"What in God's name?" Finney wondered. He looked over the railing of the second floor catwalk, trying to find the source of the laughter.

Behind him stood Carl, who was watching him.

Not noticing the lock on the cell behind him open, seemingly of its own accord.

With a cry of pure rage, the man formerly known as Mark Desmond, now called Blockbuster, exploded out of his cell, his superhuman muscles grabbing Carl and plowing the both of them through the steel railing. They plummeted down, smashing into the turbines that powered the containment cells.

The only things that kept the rogues in check.

The men smashed into the machinery, destroying it as they did so, cutting off power to the entire prison.

"Oh, God!" Finney gaped. "Carl!"

"Worry about yourself, copper!" snarled a voice to his right.

Finney turned just in time to see the Parasite launch towards him.

"There's nothing holding them in their cells!" another guard shouted seconds before Deadshot killed him with a pistol he had stolen.

"Let's get outta here!" roared Metallo.

"I second the motion," the gorilla villain Grodd said, grinning maliciously as he walked past the guard captain, whose mind he'd just destroyed.

"An agreement, then," the mysterious voice said, bringing the villains' murderous riot to a halt.

Without warning, green flames spread across the floor, rocketing up and engulfing the rogues. Not expecting this, the villains began screaming, believing that they were going to die and rot in Hell.

They weren't far off in the second part.

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The Cheetah opened her eyes and lowered her arms, expecting to see a fiery inferno about her, with all her fellow evildoers suffering horrific tortures.

Imagine how shocked she was to find herself in a monstrously huge cavern. The ground was rock, uneven and vastly tiered, with the sky pitch black and starless.

_What's going on here?_ she wondered, looking about.

All the other rogues, many of whom were from Arkham and other prisons, were either conversing with each other or exploring the cavern. They didn't seem very bothered by their surroundings.

The next thing that caught the Cheetah's attention was the humongous, stone demon's head rising out of the ground at the edge of the floor level. It had a fire inside, one with flames that reached to the head's eyes, giving the already frightful visage even more of a fear effect.

"Anybody got any idea where we are?" Livewire asked, looking around for an answer.

There was a moment of silence, and then…

"Yes," the same voice from before whispered, carrying throughout the cavern. "You, my friends, are in Hell."

Before the rogues had a chance to respond, green flame erupted at the demon's head's base, and it died down to reveal a large man dressed in what looked like a costume. He swept his viridian cape aside, exposing green and white body armor, underneath of which bulged seriously ripped muscles.

"My name," he said in his chilling voice, "is Neron."

The villains took in "Neron's" dress: Green cape, green boots and gauntlets, green chest armor, and a white bodysuit. His blond hair and pure white eyes gave him a creepy countenance.

Neron waved a hand. "Please, make yourselves at home. I want you to be comfortable for this evening's events."

"And what, pray tell," Penguin asked, "would those events be?"

Neron responded first with a smile that sent shivers all around, and then in words. "Why, the acquisition of power, and the doling out of punishment on the heroes of the world."

This caused a ripple of quiet conversing among the rogues, who were naturally suspicious of anyone who tried to help them.

Neron, though, didn't seem the least bit bothered. "I assume you all wish to see credentials? Very well." Again, he waved a hand, and behind him, a stone table with figures seated around it was illuminated.

The rogues felt their breaths vanish: The first figure was Lex Luthor, Superman's archenemy!

"You're right to be suspicious," the megalomaniac spoke. "But you're foolish to decline his offer. Without Neron, I would still have the kryptonite poisoning as my consistent burden. Thanks to his actions, I'm back to full health."

The figure next to him was illuminated—Circe, mythical sorceress.

"Mr. Luthor is correct," she said to the villains. "In dealing with Neron, I've finally gotten the power I needed for my revenge."

A third figure was promptly revealed—Mumbo the Magician, a Titans' rogue.

"Sweet cheeks here is right," he leered. "Trust us; you'll like it. A lot."

A fourth figure: Felix Faust.

"Rhetorical though our words seem, I assure you all that I would be in Lord Hades' de-fleshing chamber at this moment if not for Neron's offer. I encourage you to agree to his wishes."

"There you have it," Neron smiled. "If those kinds words don't stir you to accept my assistance, then simply choose to leave, and you will be released back to Earth, no worse for wear."

It took all of five seconds for the rogues to decide.

"Party time!" Clayface cackled. "Sign me up for the real action!"

Smiling, Neron lifted a hand, palm towards the Batman rogue…and kept smiling as a green burst of light shot from Clayface's chest into his outstretched hand. Not a second had passed before green flames sprang upwards at the metamorph's feet, dying down a moment later.

"Clayface, you feeling all right?" Firefly asked, cautiously approaching his fellow villain.

"I—I feel fantastic!" the other bellowed, flinging his arms outward. "I feel like I can be anything!"

"And so you can," Neron agreed. "I fulfilled your heart's desire: To truly blend in. Your powers are greatly augmented."

"Me next, me next!" cried numerous rogues at once as the treatments continued. Neron gave it to them all, no matter what their dreams were. In the end, his accomplishments had transformed the following into engines of destruction: The Royal Flush Gang, Copperhead, Killer Frost, Killer Moth, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, The Ultra-Humanite, Killer Croc, Metallo, Volcana, Dr. Destiny, Giganta, Cinderblock, Dr. Light, Mad Mod, Control Freak, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Firefly, Parasite, Toyman, Livewire, Luminus, Despero, Grodd, Solomon Grundy, Tsukuri, Deadshot, Mordru, and Plasmus.

Others rejected his offer.

"I don't have to sell my soul," Jinx said. "I've already given it away to the one who needs it most." She promptly vanished, taking Mammoth and Gizmo with her.

Barely uttering even halfway decent excuses, the Flash's Rogues departed.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone, least of all some demon overlord," The Shade said before leaving.

"I don't belong here," The Cheetah supplied, and vanished.

Turning to the remaining criminals, Neron smiled. "As you can see, not all fulfill my expectations. But those who do are rewarded with great power."

He flung his cape aside, raising his voice. "You now possess more power than ever! Power enough to conquer your foes and wreak vengeance and havoc on the world! That is what I ask of you: Destruction, chaos, death. Serve Hell proudly, and you shall be treated as lords upon your formal entry into the grave!"

He paused as the roof of the cavern cracked open, a swirl of green storm clouds beyond.

"Now, go forth and bring doom upon all who resist you!"

It was all the madmen needed to hear: They exploded upwards with a fervor and fury never before displayed, their minds and hearts set to annihilating their enemies.

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"Superman!" J'onn called over the comlink.

"I'm kind of busy!" the Big Blue Boy Scout said before using his breath to extinguish a blaze.

"It's an emergency," the Martian replied. "The magicians have just reported in: The villains are all back, and it seems that they're now stronger than ever. I would surmise that their disappearance was to boost their powers."

"Call Batman," the Kryptonian ordered. "Tell him to get his tools and start helping!"

"I'm on it," the other alien answered.

Continued in Red Robin, Chapter 3.

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AUTHOR: Hope that was all to your liking.

READ N REVIEW!


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